Karachi: Pakistan’s fast bowler Junaid Khan is optimistic about his future in international cricket despite being laid low by injury.

“Missing out on events such as the Asia Cup did hurt a lot. But I am not disappointed because I believe it’s a temporary setback. Great bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis went through similar phases during their careers but they managed to become legends of the game. I always take inspiration from them because I want to be like them one day,” The Express Tribune quoted Junaid, as saying.

He missed the Asia Cup after suffering a fracture, an injury that followed his abdominal injury during the series against Sri Lanka in the UAE.

Junaid is also striving sharpen his expertise with the ball, while he is recovering from an injury.

“A player doesn’t have control on setbacks like injuries and I have faith that such blows are always good in some way or the other. While I’m out of competitive cricket, I’m working on improving my skills as a bowler, especially the swinging deliveries,” he said.

“I’m working on new deliveries to improve as a bowler — one is a deceiving swing delivery and the other is a reverse-swing delivery. I’m giving these two a lot of time these days,” he added.